Yangshuo, 65 kilometres .southeast Guilin,
is a county (population 300,000) directly under its
jurisdiction. It is located in the upper reaches of
Gui River and Li River rums through it. The county sits
on a typical karst topography where there are green
mountains and jade-like streams everywhere. The scenery
along the Li River is superb, and a traveller of the
Ming Dynasty Xu Xiake (1586-1641) described it as "the
land of green lotus and jade-colour bamboo shoots "
Yangshuo boosts four major scenic areas with over 20
scenic spots, each with its own peculiarity. Furthermore,
the landscape changes colour and looks as the season
and the day change, and gives different tastes in different
weather. Of interest to visitors are Green Lotus Peak,
Yangshuo Park, Mount Painting, and Mount Moon. There
is a very popular saying: "Guilin's scenes are the finest
under Heaven, but Yangshuo's are still better." It is
a very popular travellers' destination in its own right
and certainly a good place to live and work, with a
diversity of opportunity. The town draws millions of
visitors from both home and abroad. Undeniably, to live
in Yangslluo is to be a lover of mountains. Which is
not to say that all the people of Yangshuo spend their
leisure hours gallivanting among the forests of the
high cotmtry.

Green Lotus Peak
So called because the peak looks like a blossoming lotus
flower, in the major hill of Yangshuo County (population
300,000). To its east is the Li River, and to the west,
the county seat. Walking along the fiver bank, the tourist
can enjoy mountains in distance and waters nearby, and
quite a number of stone inscriptions, of which the most
interesting is the giant Chinese character (Dai, literaUy
meaning "belt"), because it is actually composed of
fourteen Chinese characters meaning "As the hills and
rivers in this area lead the world in Beauty, so the
youngsters stould strive to become leading figures in
talent and ability. ' Getting into the "Art Gallery"
River-Facing Pavilion the tourist sees pictures of natural
beauty all round, and going up higher into the Jianshan
Tower , the tourist commands a spectacular view of all
the hills and peaks and all the streams far and near.

Yangshuo Park
Located in the county seat, the park is surrounded by
hills, with a stream running through it. In the park
there are Duxiu Hill , Xilang Hill and Zhongling Hill
, "The Crane-Freeing Pavilion ," "the Pavilion for Meeting
the Immortals and "Reposing on the Clouds Pavilion "
are built on the top of the Zbongshan Hill.

Ancient Banyan Tree and Pierced-Through
Rock
The 1,300-odd-year-old Banyan Tree is located only 7
kilometres south of the Yangahuo County seat. Its branches
spread out in all directions, and its roots twisting
crisscross, and the tree takes six men to encircle its
trunk with their arms stretched out. Under the tree
there is an aged ferry, called "Aged Ferry under the
Shade of the Aged Banyan." On the opposite bank of the
river stands a hill with a cave going through it, therefore
the hill came by the name "Pierced-through Hill.' A
hook-shaped rock, called the "golden hook," protruded
from near the hilltop, and another rock is found at
the {cot of the hill, which resembles a living frog
ready to jump into the stream at any time.

The Moon Hill
About one kilometre from the Banyan Tree lles a hill
whose peaks tower the sky as if it has reached the clouds.
The hill has a cave with a diameter of 11 metres looking
just like a full moon, hence the name. Viewed from different
angles, tile cave takes different shapes, just as the
moon changes shape with the elapse of time; this is
one of the major charms of Yangshuo.

Fuli
Fuli is a very small town in Yangshuo, with a mere 1,000-strong
population. Nearly a third of its people work with traditional
Chinese art and crafts, making painted folding fans,
framing calligraphy or painting. Most of them get rich
by selling these handicrafts to tourists. Former US
President Bill Clinton called their fans "natural air-conditioners"
when he visited Yangshuo in 1998, bringing unexpected
fame as well as cash to the town.